N A Ratnayake's "The Parched Lands" (short story, smart class, free)

In spite of title, this is not a water dystopia.

In a way, this is really a fanfic of science fiction. All main characters are children or teenagers, with concerns appropriate to that age - so may be the tag of juvenile fiction too applies.

The story describes "smart desks" & "smart class" in some detail. In the last few years, there seem to have been a rush in India of many companies selling smart classes, though not quite of this kind.

Story summary.

A school that splits students into A-track & B-track classrooms - good students with significantly better facilities in A-track. This is the story of the rebellion of an A-track student (against the system?) over her obsession with science fiction.

Fact sheet.

First published:  Crossed Genres, #7: Expectations (July 2013).
Download full text from publisher's site. [via SF Signal]
Rating: B.